MC foreign language student receives Gilman Scholarships to study abroad in Taiwan

Khalea Johnson plans to immerse herself into the culture in Taiwan while attending Chung Yuan Christian University this spring.

Khalea Johnson discovered her love of foreign cultures by playing a video game. Super Mario Bros. Wii, to be exact.

There was something about being immersed in the fictional multiplayer universe that appealed to the Jackson native.

“As a kid, I was first introduced to different cultures through that game,” said Johnson, a senior foreign language and international trade major at Mississippi College. “I fell in love with the characters and got interested in who created it.

“I discovered it was a Japanese man. So, I went down a rabbit hole and fell in love with Japanese culture.”

When she reached high school, Johnson had an opportunity to study another Asian language: Mandarin Chinese. She started gravitating toward Chinese culture.

“Since then, I’ve wanted to learn more languages,” she said. “It’s how they sound to me – I find them really cool. It’s also interesting to find out how different people live and to understand how they see life.”

Her interest in Mandarin Chinese and her talent for picking up languages has helped her earn two prestigious national awards through the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program: a $5,000 maximum award for the Gilman-Taiwan Scholarship, and, because she is studying Chinese, a language the U.S. State Department has deemed critical to national security, a $3,000 Critical Need Language Award.

They will help fund her final semester of college this spring at MC’s partner institution, Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan.

“These awards are highly competitive, and her selection is a remarkable achievement that reflects both her dedication and the strength of our language programs,” said Lingshan Song, MC instructor of Chinese, director of the Writing Center and faculty leader for MC's partnership with CYCU.

Johnson credits her mother for helping stoke her passion for the Chinese language.

“When I was younger, my Mom would encourage my sister and me to learn the hardest language out there,” she said.

She discovered MC through her high school Chinese teacher, Adam Jones, whose wife, Weng, once worked for the University.

“He told me about the Taiwan program at MC,” she said. “He highly recommended it because he knew the professors there were really great.”

A handful of years later, Johnson is on her way to Taiwan.

Song said Johnson’s achievements underscore the diverse cultural opportunities Mississippi College offers its language students.

“Knowing Mandarin Chinese gives students a significant competitive edge in today’s job market, especially in fields related to international trade, business and diplomacy,” she said. “MC offers a robust Chinese language program with beginner and intermediate courses designed to help students develop strong communication and cultural skills.

“By partnering with CYCU in Taiwan, MC provides enriching study-abroad opportunities during both summer and regular fall-spring semesters. This partnership also includes scholarship support for MC students studying at CYCU.”

Johnson said family members were hesitant when they learned she would be traveling to Taiwan.

“No one in my immediate family has ever been to another country,” she said. “They were hesitant about me doing that. But throughout my college career, I have been working hard to get this opportunity.”

Johnson is looking forward to living in Taojuan, a city close to Taipei, and attending CYCU.

“My goal is to immerse myself into the culture and explore different opportunities there,” she said. “At MC, the classes were taught in English, so I didn’t have many chances to speak Chinese. In Taiwan, I’ll be ‘forced’ to use the language in my daily life. That will be really helpful.”

Like most young adults, Johnson is looking forward to being on her own and discovering her place in the world. The semester abroad in Taiwan may help her figure out what the future has in store for her.

“I’d like to do international work,” she said. “Mississippi College and the professors here have been a big part of my journey – they have prepared me well for this opportunity. I want to do as much as I can to serve other people.

“You can learn a lot by understanding how other people view life, how they do certain things. That makes me see how particular and creative God really is.”